Beach Baby Tips

If you are taking a baby to the beach,

I have some great tips for you.

We took Olive when she was 6 weeks old and had a wonderful time.

We packed the following items for her to wear:

 swimsuit

regular diapers (because she wasn't going to be getting in the water)

cover up

sun hats - one with a chin strap will stay on the best

sunglasses

sandals

 I found the hat and cover up at Old Navy and they were perfect!

True to size, fit really well and was adorable.

We avoided the hottest, sunniest parts of the day and went down to the beach in the early morning or late afternoon hours.  We also rented a large umbrella and chairs to give us plenty of shade.  I packed bottles, bibs, diapers, pacis, paci clip, a light weight blanket, wet wipes and ziploc bags in a mini diaper bag.  She had her own beach towel to lay on while she was on our laps.  We fed her while we were at the beach, she napped and enjoyed the view.  I also packed my cell phone and real camera to take lots of pictures.

We kept her out of the sand, ocean and pool water because she was so little.  We also avoided putting any sunscreen on her because everything I read suggested not using it.  We kept her out of the direct sun and she was in heaven with the ocean breeze.  We stayed out in short amounts of time and went back into the condo to cool off.  We didn't want her to get overheated so we were extra cautious.  Cloudy portions of the day were prime beach times for us because it was cooler and less crowded. 

Hanging out with her dad, bib on and ready to eat.

 Being a beach baby is hard work.

If you pack accordingly and plan ahead,

taking a baby to the beach is very doable!

Lipstick Stains No More

I think every lady has had this problem... lipstick on fabric!  I can't tell you how many times I've smeared lipstick on a top or scarf as I'm taking it off or I have even dropped a tube of lipstick down my shirt as I was putting it on!  Since having a baby, I also noticed that I kept getting lipstick on Olive's bows/headbands.  I'd go to give her a kiss or she's bop her head into my lip and ended up with a lipstick smudge on her accessories.  Bummer.

I used to get so mad when I'd get lipstick on something but not anymore.  I recently discovered that TOOTHPASTE removes lipstick from any type of clothing or accessory material!!!!!!

How to do it yourself:

1.Choose any type of regular paste toothpaste.  This Crest is my favorite and my dentist gives it out each time we have a visit.  (Please ignore my curious cat... he comes running anytime he hears a cabinet door open!)

 2. Apply the toothpaste directly to the lipstick stained area.

 3.  Use your fingernail to scrub it around on the lipstick stain for a few minutes.

 4. Rinse or wipe down with water.  Repeat toothpaste process if you can still see remnants of the lipstick.  I have never had to repeat the process more than once.  No sign of any lipstick!  Let the item air dry and it will be good as new in no time.

I've done the toothpaste method on blouses, skirts, scarves and baby hair bows.  It works on all of them, doesn't leave a stain and leaves you smelling minty fresh :)  Give it a try real soon.

Chicken Chimichangas

I love all mexican food and we eat it a lot.  It's easy to put together and great left over.  

Here's my latest favorite recipe for 

CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS

Ingredients:
Taco Seasoning

water 

shredded chicken

large tortilla shells

shredded Pepper Jack cheese

salsa

Follow directions on taco seasoning packet adding chicken and water.

 Scoop out a generous amount of chicken onto one tortilla.

 Top with Pepper Jack cheese.

 Bake in a greased pan at 400F for 15 minutes.

Broil for 2-3 minutes afterwards to get a crunchy layer on top.

 Serve with refried beans, corn & your favorite salsa.

 These a great left over too!  You can substitute your favorite cheese for the pepper jack cheese if you don't care for the spicy cheese.  I made them with cheddar cheese before and they were good.

Arkansas River in our Backyard

We are enjoying the view of the Arkansas River that happens to run right along our neighborhood.  It's fun to watch the boats go by, feel the breeze, watch the bikes zooming along the path on the other side of the river and just relax.

 Kevin walked down for a closer look and to sit right next to the river.

 He ensured me he had no intention of taking Olive for a swim.

 Olive loves to ride in her Chicco carrier.

That's downtown in the background.

Addison and I were feeling brave so we held on to each other and went to see them.

 Thanks for a fun visit!!

Love the bounty of crape myrtles!!

Wrapping Up the Week

Another good, slightly sleep deprived, week at our house.  My baby turned 12 weeks and we are enjoying the sunny weather and trying to stay cool.  The week seemed to fly by and the highlights were...

1. The stars aligned and my baby fell asleep while I was doing some shopping at Target.  I had to try on clothes and that presented a problem... how was I going to manage a car seat, diaper bag and clothes to try on?!?!  Luckily, Target has a family dressing room and they let you wheel your cart right in!!  I knew I loved this place plus I found a v-neck t and dress that were perfect on clearance.

2. I started reading the Duck Commander book and am really enjoying it.

 3. I did some baking and this is my idea of one cup of chocolate chips.  Did you know when a recipe calls for one cup of chocolate chips, it really means: "Fill the measuring cup as high as possible with chocolate chips"???

4.  Olive is mastering the art of face making.  She cracks me up and there is no shortage of photo evidence of these cute 12 week old xpressions.

5.I made fun yarn pom-pom bows for some gifts I was wrapping and I had a "helper".

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Linking up with TheLaurenElizabeth and InstaFriday.

Little Rock Zoo

The reviews for the Little Rock Zoo were not great but I always enjoy visiting the zoo so we gave it a try.  The weather was cooler than usual, and by cooler I mean upper 80s and humidity at ONLY 60% that day, so we wanted to take advantage of it.  

Here were some of our favorite animals:

Apes

 Kevin was feeling brave and pet the Corn Snake.  Ewwww!

 The elephant

 Feeding the fishies

 The giraffe didn't move the whole time we were watching it other than to chew.

I think it was real... :)

 Olive's first trip to the zoo.

 The big cats

Both little girls did a lot of sleeping!

 Zebras

 It was hot so I was glad to keep Olive cool in the shade 

and have her sleep through the majority of our zoo visit.

 Kevin broke into song when we saw the wart hogs.

"When I was a young wart hoooooooooooooooooog!"

The cutest penguin at the zoo!

 I think I like the zoo mom :)

The crew minus Tyler the photographer.

Wishing I would have asked someone to take a picture of ALL of us!

 Overall, the zoo was nice and almost all animals were out.  I'd avoid going on really hot days.  Only a few things were under construction and it's really close by our house so we'll probably go back.